1A-4A State Indoor Preview

Girls 1-4A Distance Preview

Good news for the 1-4A competitors
in the distance events this season. The reigning champion in the 800, 1600, and
3200, Gracie Hyde, has transferred to a school out of the 1-4A classifications.
With that being said, we will see new champions in these events this year.

In
the 1600, top returners from the 2017 meet include Jamison Maass of Haas Hall
Bentonville, Alina Homan of Jessieville, and Janie Bentley of Genoa Central.
All three athletes will be in contention for the title this year. Other
returning athletes with personal bests that are sufficient enough to be
considered favorites for this year's race include Bekah Bostian and Alyssa
Leduc of Prairie Grove, Karina Maravillas of Green Forrest, Kendal Hays of West
Fork, and Alysa Dohm of Des Arc. All athletes have posted times of 5:45 or
better which will make for a tight race Friday night.

A
lot of the same competitors mentioned as favorites for the 1600 will be in
contention for a 3200 title as well. Top returners from the 2017 meet include
Bostian of Prairie Grove, Homan of Jessieville, Maass of Haas Hall Bentonville,
Maravillas of Green Forrest, and Megan Rose of Mansfield. Other athletes that
have posted times that could put them in place to score points include Harding
Academy's Joanna White, Ali Ward of Pocahontas, and Hays of West Fork. All of
these girls have posted sub-13:00 marks in the event since the 2017 indoor
meet.

Top
returners from the 2017 indoor meet in the girl's 800 include Dohm of Des Arc,
Sally Bird of Gravette, Evelin Santaclara of Joe T. Robinson, and Maass of Haas
Hall Bentonville. Other girls that have posted times since the 2017 indoor meet
that could find themselves in contention for the 800 title include Skylar Campbell
of Pottsville, Maravillas of Green Forrest, Natalie Toney of Pocahontas, and
Hays of West Fork. The girl's 800 on Friday night will be a close one. All of
the athletes mentioned have run times between 2:25 and 2:32.

Girls 1-4A Sprints/ Hurdles Preview

In
the 60 meter dash, all returning competitors from the 2017 indoor meet have run
between 8.00 and 8.87. The tight-knit group is composed of Jaylah Gaston and
Shaundesia Haynes of Crossett, Ericka Green and Mackenzie Frederick of Joe T.
Robinson, Kamryn Bull of Dardanelle, Mariah Austin of Monticello, and Madison
Lewis of Des Arc. Should we see all of these competitors in the finals of the
60 on Friday night, we'll be in for a close race.

Tiana
Wilson of Hamburg is the top returner in the 200 from the 2017 season. Although
she did not compete in the 2017 indoor meet, her time of 24.60 makes here the
favorite for this year if she decides to compete. The next three fastest times
belong to Gaston of Crossett, Toney of Pocahontas, and Z'kiahKuykandallof Gosnell.
They have all run under 27.00 in the 200 and will be fighting for a top
position in this year's race. Other notable athletes who have run under 28.00
in the event include Micah Fouts of Harding Academy, Crossett's Nakari Thrower,
Joe T. Robinson's Ericka Green, and Lauren Glenn of Shiloh Christian.

Wilson
of Hamburg also tops the charts of returning runners in the 400. Her 57.44 puts
her well ahead of the rest of the field returning this season. Notable athletes
in the girls 400 include Kennedy Timmerman of Ozark, Bull of Dardanelle,
Ka'liyah Rogers of Maumelle Charter, Keiunna Walker of Lonoke, Lydia Burnett
and Thrower of Crossett, and Dakota Smith of Nashville. All of these athletes
have personal bests between 1:01 and 1:03. If they meet in the 400, we could
see some new personal bests achieved.

The
top three returners in the girl's 60 Hurdles, Sydney Lane of Rivercrest,
Georgia Battles of Waldron, and Mariah Austin of Monticello have all run under
11.00 in the event. They are the early favorites to contend to for the 2018
title. Other competitors from the 2017 indoor season with a shot of scoring
points include Lexey Williams of Green Forrest, Anna Burnett and Khalia
Williams of Crossett, Brooklyn Carlton of Mansfield, and Hannah Smith of Magazine.
All of these athletes have run 11.55 or better.

Girls 1-4A Field Event Preview

The long jump
has potential to be a very close event this year. The top returning athletes
from the 2017 season have all jumped within seven inches of each other. These
athletes include Natalie Toney of Pocahontas, Brookelyn Cox of Nashville, Micah
Fouts of Harding Academy, Lauryn Brasel of Westside Johnson Country, Ka'liyah
Rogers of Maumelle Charter, Teagan Dixon of Gravette, Z'kiahKiykandall of
Gosnell, and Alissa Smith of Green Forrest.

Top returners from the 2017 indoor
meet in the triple jump include Dardanelle's Haven Calavitta, Battles of
Waldron, and Mackenzie Frederick of Joe T. Robinson. They have all jumped
32-8.5 or better in the event. Other notable long jumpers that will be
returning this season include Jaylynn Hampton of Crossett and Toney of
Pocahontas. Both athletes jumped over 35-0 in the 2017 outdoor season. Shelby
Dunlap of Pea Ridge follows closely with a mark of 34-11.

The 2017 indoor state champ in the
high jump will be returning to the Tyson Center Friday night. Sydney Lane of
Rivercrest won the event last year with a jump of 5-6. During the outdoor
season, she improved on that to 5-8 which would be good enough for an indoor
state record if she matches that Friday night. The rest of the field of high
jumpers returning to the 2018 season include Hampton and Anaya Jones of
Crossett, Hailey Qualls of Genoa Central, Kylie Hall of Central Arkansas
Christian, Destiny Meija of Decatur, Emily Stepp of Westside Johnson Country,
and Autumn Parker of Waldron.

Runner-up in the 2017 indoor state
meet pole vault competition is returning this year. Cassidy Mooneyhan of Pea
Ridge vaulted 9-6 in last year's indoor meet which was good enough for second
place. Since then, she has posted a vault of 10-0 which
is shared as the top mark for returning athletes to the 2018 season with
Kristen Gibbs of Mount Ida. Other vaulters to keep an eye out for on Friday
include Alana Sisco of Pocahontas, Caitlyn Fincher of Rivercrest, Isabella Thew
of Mount Ida, Audra Blevins of Melbourne, Lexey Williams of Green Forrest, and
Battles of Waldron who have all vaulted 9-0 or better.